Berlin
'Hallo!' Danke to our German friends for their many enthusiastic recommendations for what to eat, drink and do. Pro Tips: *Many shops are closed on Sundays *The train/metro system is a really convenient way to get around but taxis are sometimes easier/faster depending on where you're going and I love how incredibly clean all the taxis are. the 'My Taxi' phone app is a really handy and efficient way to hail a cab. 'EAT - ''Guten Appetit! '''Local Foods To Try 'Currywurst' *Take-away snack consisting of a deep fried german sausage topped with a tomato ketchup like sauce and curry powder. The sausage sometimes has skin removed depending on where you go. This wacky combination was invented by Herta Heuwer in the late 1940s who was inspired by American and British soldiers who loved ketchup and curry powder respectively. Herta started selling this combo at a street stand in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin selling ~10,000 orders per week! This sausage snack even has it's own museum if you're really curious to learn more about this history: http://www.currywurstmuseum.de 'Doner Kebab' *Another popular take-away food choice, especially after a late night drinking. The sandwich consists of a Turkish pita filled with roasted meat cooked on a vertical spit and topped with various salad toppings and a yogurt sauce. Doner Kebab was invented by Mahmut Aygun aka "Kebab King" in 1971 when he decided to put the kebab meet inside a pita instead of on rice to allow people to eat on the go. 'Wiener Schnitzel' *This traditional Austrian dish is a beauty to behold and after one crispy bite you'll be hooked! It's a piece of veal pounded very thin into an enormous disc, breaded and deep fried. There are many varieties of Schnitzel on restaurant menus other than veal, like pork and chicken, but the real deal is actually protected by law in Austria and Germany, and must be made of veal. I just love that there is a law about this! The origin of this dish is a bit fuzzy, but it seems the Austrians were not alone as many cultures around the world have a version of a fried cutlet like the much adored Japanese tonkatsu I grew up with :) 'Spätzle' *Spätzle means "little sparrow" and is a type of egg noodle considered a specialty of the Swabian region. The ingredients are similar to Italian pasta: flour, eggs, water, salt - but the dough is wetter and cannot be rolled out. Instead, the dough is spread over a wooden cutting-board (or put in a press) and thin strips are scraped off the board with a knife into boiling salted water. Like pasta, it's versitle and there are many ways to serve and eat it: I like it simple, sauteed with a little brown butter. 'White Asparagus' (When in season) *Everyone goes crazy for this stuff when it's in season ~April. So what's the big deal? Yea, they look weird but these tender vegis taste have a uniquely delicate taste and they are only available for a short window of time each year making it the rock-star of produce when it makes it's annual appearance. 'Flammekuchen' *This "flame cake" is essentially a German pizza. It's a rectangle shaped bread with a white cheese or white sauce and various toppings of choice which is baked in a wood-fire oven. 'German Pretzel ' *Bretzel, Brezl, Breze, or Brez’n *Another pretzel-ish baked item is the 'laugencroissant'. It's a hybrid pretzel-croissant which is a genious combination of two of my favorite types of baked items. It's just another example of how good Germans are at baking. Go to a good bakery to find them. 'Where To Fill Your Belly' 'Schwarzwaldstuben '(South German Food) One of my favorites spots for simple, 'home cooking' style food served up in a casual dining atmosphere. Beyond the Schnitzel (which is very good), they have a variety of traditional South German dishes. The spätzle is recommended. And they have an English menu if you're like me and need one :P *Recommendations: Spätzle, Schitzel *Location: Tucholskystr. 48, 10117 Berlin (Area: Mitte) *Tel: +49 30 28098084 'Ständige Vertretung '(German Food, Rheinland Area) Add Review - fun, buzzing vibe, pictures on walls, shared table seating, refill beers, vinegar brisket. eat food from the Bonn/Köln (Rheinland) area and drink "Kölch" beer... *Recommendations: Beef braised in vinager, Blood sausage *Location: Schiffbauerdamm 8, 10117 Berlin (Area: Mitte) *Phone: 030 2823965 *Website: http://staev.de/ 'Gugelhof (German, Alsatian Cuisine)' Great place for brunch. Clinton ate here. *Recommendations: Breakfast/Brunch, Sausages, Sauerkraut, Flammekuchen *Location: Knaackstraße 37, 10435 Berlin (Area: Prenzlauer Berg) *Telephone: 030 4429229 *Website: http://www.gugelhof.de 'Curry 36 '(Currywurst) You can easily find currywurst all over the city. Curry 36 is one of the more popular locations to get your currywurst fix. Nothing fancy to say about it: cut up sausages drowned in ketchup & curry powder are served with fries in little paper trays. Quickly stab away at the little sausage and potatoes with the little plastic fork you get and enjoy...oh and quickly move aside for the others in queue! *Location: Mehringdamm 36, 10961 Berlin (Area: Kreuzberg) *Website: http://www.curry36.de 'Witty's '(Organic Currywurst) Another popular currywurst stand, selling organic sausages in their version. I actually think the quality of the ingredients makes a difference, especially in sausages so IMO it's worth the little extra Euros. *Location: Wittenbergplatz 5, 10789 Berlin (Area: Schöneberg) *Telephone: 030 2119496 *Website: http://www.wittys-berlin.de 'KaDeWe Food Court' Add Review *Location: Tauentzienstraße 21, 10789 Berlin (Area: Schöneberg) *Website: http://www.kadewe.de 'Chicken Doner '(Doner Kebab) I'm not a fan of the more traditional lamb/meat roasted spits you usually see. I don't know, something about them just screams 'mystery meat' to me. I much prefer the chicken doner at this place. The chicken, pitas, toppings and sauces all taste really fresh and are the perfect 'fast food' or on the go type of meal when in the area and shopping. The location is great too: very close to the Hackeshcher Markt station. Just look for the Starbucks on the ground floor of the Die Hackeschen shopping building and you'll find Chicken Doner located across the street. *Location: Rosenthaler Str. 42, Berlin, 10178 (near Hackescher Markt station, across the street from Starbucks) 'Splendid Delicatessen' Spot for Lunch or Catering *Location: Dorotheenstraße 37, 10117 Berlin (Area: Mitte) *Website: http://www.splendid-delikatessen.de 'White Trash Fast Food '(Burgers & Drinks) Hot damn, I love this place!! Scene is fun, burgers are outrageously delicious and bartenders know how to mix a proper drink. The main event here are the burgers and wowie they are good! My favorite is the 'Moses Hell-Fire BBQ Burger', which comes with cheddar, homemade bbq sauce, and jalepenos. Each delicious, fiery bite will set off alarms in your stomach preluding a 'hell-fire' night later, but just ignore that and enjoy - Food bliss now, torture later. Other burgers to binge on include: The Classic Trash Cheese Burger, Extreme Chili Cheese Burger, King Elvis Supreme (cheddar, kraut, bacon, bbq sauce) and The Marquee De Fuck (bacon and blue cheese). If you happen to be there for 'Rock N Roll' bingo night, you're in for some some fun times and many rounds of drinks while trying to clear your bingo card. *Recommendations: Burgers, Fries & Drinks *Location: Schönhauser Allee 6-7, 10119 Berlin (Area: Prenzlauer Berg) *Notes: There is a smoking area downstairs so you don't need to go and freeze your butt off outside. And, if you are feeling adventurous there is also a tattoo shop :P 'Smart Deli' (Japanese Homestyle Cooking) This is my favorite type of restaurant: Cozy with homestyle cooking run by a passionate and friendly lover of food. This is truly a special and unique place that will transport you to Japan. Yumi (lady who runs the place) and the staff are all super-friendly and they have celebrated over 10 years of business in Berlin! The menu is simple, fresh and authentic Japanese home cooking - the kind of stuff you'd find coming from a real Japanese kitchen including: Grilled fishes, Yakiniku beef, Miso tofu, Teriyaki Chicken, Noodle bowls, Sushi, Japanese rice porridge and a range of authentic side dishes. The dishes are carefully prepared and arrive the table looking picture perfect - how often do you get a salad with little carrots cut into cute little flower shapes? *Location: (hard to miss with the most colorful and cute artwork painted on the storefront windows) 'Borchardt ' Add Review *Recommendations: Schnitzel, Goose (if available), Soup with dumpling *Location: *Telephone: 'Cookies Cream '(Vegetarian) {C}Yes, Berlin has some good vegetarian places...really. This was a real shocker to me as my conceptions of German food were all in the sausage, potatoes categories.... *Location: Behrenstr. 55, 10117 Berlin (Area: Mitte) *Telephone: 030 27492940 *Website: http://www.cookiescream.com 'Grill Royal '(Steak) Swanky dining with excellent steaks. The location in the middle of Berlin along the river Spree, sophisticated dining atmosphere (indoors and outdoors), superior quality steaks and attentive staff all add up to deliver a luxury steakhouse experience - heck, even the name 'Grill Royal' sounds posh! The star here is the steak: I ordered a cut of aged filet, which was perfectly cooked, rich and full-flavored. My husband tucked into a bone-in behemoth sized steak that was also delicious. The starters and sides are good, but I'd recommend you keep it simple with the following order and you won't be disappointed: 1) Champagne and oysters to start 2) Steak of your choice 3) Bottle(s) of a bold German red wine which pair nicely with the steak. *Recommendations: Oysters, Steak, German Red Wine *Location: Friedrichstr. 105b, 10117 Berlin (Area: Mitte) *Telephone: 030 28879288 *Website: http://www.grillroyal.com *Be sure to call ahead to make a booking, especially if you'd like to go on a Friday or Saturday night. 'DRINK - ''Prost! '''Where To Get Your Caffeine Fix 'Balzac Coffee' "ball sack" first thing in the morning? Yes please :D This is a chain of coffee shops, similar to a Starbucks but a little less corporate vibe. This is a solid, convenient place to stop in for a coffee break and they have a good selection of pastries. If you're really dragg'n, the large size to-go coffee is no joke - it's huge. I frequent the one located right by the DDR museum and the Radisson Blu. *Locations: *Website 'The Barn' *Location: August Strasse 58, Berlin 10119 (Area: Mitte) *Website: http://thebarn.de/index.html 'Bonanza Coffee Heroes' Add Review *Location: Oderberger Strasse 35, 10435 Berlin *Telephone: +49(0)171 5630795 *Website: http://www.bonanzacoffee.de/ 'Where To We Your Lips' 'Prater Garten' Add Review *Recommendations: *Location: Kastanienallee 7-9, 10435 Berlin *Telephone: +49 30 4485688 'Pony Bar' Add Review 'Bar Tausend' Add Review *Location: Schiffbauerdamm 11, 10117 Berlin (Unmarked spot with no sign at its entrance, look for iron door beneath the Paris-Moskau railway) *Telephone: +493027582070 *Website: http://www.tausendberlin.com/ 'SEE & DO' 'DDR Museum' 'Pergamon Museum' 'Segway Tour' 'Free Walking Tour' 'Underground Bunker Tour' 'Aquadom' 'Christmas Markets' 'Brunch' 'Shopping in Mitte ' *Along Alte Schönhauser Straße *Closed Sundays